The children gather

“How late are you girls going to stay up?” Bertie asked.

“I don’t know,” Iylaine said warily, “how late are you boys going to stay up?”

“That depends on you girls.”

“How come?”

“Because we boys have to stay up until you girls go to bed.”

“How come?” Wynna asked.

“Well, we need to be awake to protect you, in case that man comes. So we have to stay awake till you go to bed.”

“Who’s going to protect us after we go to bed?” Iylaine asked. “What if he comes after we’re all asleep?”

“Oh,” Bertie said. He hadn’t thought of that.

The Hogge children, accompanied by Iylaine, were to spend the night at Nothelm keep while their fathers went out to hunt the killer, for this night was the new moon. The younger children were already abed, but Dunstan, Bertie, Wynna, and Iylaine were gathered in Dunstan’s room, and had been told they needn’t go to bed until they were good and tired.

“I don’t think you should be talking about this,” Dunstan said from his perch on his high bed.

“Anyway, he can’t get in here,” Wynna said. “There’s guards.”

“And my Mama can fight with a sword, too,” Dunstan said proudly.

“She can?” Wynna asked, amazed.

“Well – with a knife at least. But it’s a very large knife.”

“My Ma has a big knife that Egelric gave her,” Bertie said, not to be outdone.

“He didn’t give it,” Iylaine snapped. “He let her borrow it till they catch that man. It’s his grandfather’s knife, from Scotland. He said he will give it to my first son, if I ever have babies some day. But I don’t think I shall.”

“You don’t want babies?” Wynna asked, amazed again.

“Why? They’re just a lot of bother.”

“Oh, speaking of babies!” Bertie groaned, for Yware came wandering in just then.

“I’m not a baby!” Yware protested. “Margaret’s a baby. I’m almost five!”

“Almost but not quite. I guess you better go back to your Mama. This room is for big kids, only.”

“Oh, let him stay, Bertie,” Wynna said softly.

Yware sat happily down in front of his benefactress and grinned at her.

“Now we can’t talk about nothing,” Bertie scowled.

“I don’t think we should talk about such things, anyway,” Dunstan said. “We don’t want to scare the girls.”

“I’m not scared!” Iylaine protested.

“I am,” Wynna said. “And you are, too, Baby. My Da is out there, and yours, and Dunstan’s.”

“Aye, but they all have swords. They aren’t afraid. And all the men are out there.”

“That’s so,” Bertie said, “but so is that man. I guess that man is out there with ‘em, only they don’t know who he is, except he doesn’t have a beard. ‘Member, that man didn’t just appear out of nowhere – he must live in this valley too. So what then?”

“Oh, Bertie!” Wynna wailed.

“Now you have scared them, Bertie,” Dunstan said. “I’m going to tell your Ma.”

“You better not! I was just talking. You don’t got to be scared, Wynn. Our Da is out with Egelric and Osric – they both have beards.”

“Who is with my father?” Dunstan asked.

“I don’t know. But I guess it don’t matter because nobody can beat your Da in a fight. I hope he is with your Da because then they’ll get him, sure.”

“Nobody can beat my Papa!” Yware said proudly.